Topsail wants Pender residents' used Christmas trees

Old Christmas trees are used to capture sand, making dunes more robust and better able to withstand erosion caused by winter storms.

By Trista TaltonBreakingnews@StarNewsOnline.com

Residents throughout Pender County are being asked to give Topsail Beach their used, live Christmas trees following the holiday."We're working with the county because we're not generating enough trees on the island," Topsail Beach Town Manager Tim Holloman said. "The county is interested in this. We're expecting maybe 900 trees we can put out on the dunes."Discarded trees will be staked down at the toe of the dune line every three to six feet in a linear fashion, a method approved by environmental officials, Holloman said during the town commissioners' Wednesday night meeting.Residents may leave their old trees in a marked area on the new town lot at the corner of Davis Street and Anderson Boulevard immediately after Christmas. Trees may be discarded on the site through January.Old Christmas trees are used to capture sand, making dunes more robust and better able to withstand erosion caused by winter storms, including nor'easters.In other business, Holloman announced that the Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to begin dredging New Topsail Inlet in February.Town officials initially thought dredging would begin this month, but welcome the push to February as they wait to see if Pender County and Surf City will contribute funds to the project.Last month Topsail Beach commissioners approved sending $225,000 to the state to fund half of the $450,000 routine dredging project. The state will pick up the remaining $225,000.Topsail Beach officials are asking Pender County and Surf City to contribute $75,000 each to the local portion of the project.Holloman said he believes the county will honor the town's request for the money, though Pender commissioners have yet to approve the funding. The Surf City Town Council has not yet addressed the matter.The inlet was dredged earlier this year. But shoaling has once again clogged the waterway, making it difficult for boaters to navigate.The town is currently working on a permit to widen the channel to 150 feet, and 16 feet deep. That width and depth would allow the town to use a larger dredge and, in turn, move the sand from the inlet onto the beach.